Enlightened Covenant
The Enlightened Covenant is one of the major Alliances within the Galaxy. Beginning as a lose Commonwealth of a few religious Empires, the Covenent soon became a unified spiritaul superpower. After some initial struggles regarding the leadership of the Covenant and the internal cohesion, they soon begann spreading their influnece and faith to other parts of the Galaxy. Core Members of the Covenant Axis Order (2258) Long Boi Alliance (2258) Polkanian Empire (2258) Schwebtron Manufactoring (2289) United Schlong Coalition (2369) Affiliates/Allies/Vassals of the Coveanant Creation of the Covenant The first steps towards creating a spiritual Covenant was made in 2224 by the Axis Order. The Order, currently losing the first contact war against the Bench Press Empire, was desperate to secure their easters flank by making a non agrresion pact with the newly encountered Long Boi Alliance. Over the years these empires continued to work together, with the Alliance offering financial help to the defeated Axis Order. Collaboration peaked in the Treaty of Skyrim, '''when the two Empires not only vowed to defend each other, but also to engage in trade and to exchange knowledge and populations. A new era of economic growth begann for the two nations, not unnoticed by the nearby Polkanian Empire. Seeking to join the growing power of these nations, the Polkanian Empire entered into a treaty with the two other empires in 2258, forming the '''Divine Pact. The Pact´s power continued to grow, but they were still only loose allies. The Axis Order aimed to change that with multiple reforms, most regarding the religions of the empires. The Long Boi Alliance was more than willing to cooperate with these reforms. However, to form a real, unified alliance, the Divine pact still lacked a common goal. This changed when the Axis Order prepared for their crussade against the Bench Press Empire. The Axis Order gave the other empire´s an ulimatum, to either join the war or to continue the pact without the Order. Allthough the Polkanian Empire was sonewhat relluctant to join, in the end they gave in and declared war against the BPE. The Covenant was officialy founded in 2289, when on the 1.7.2289 the leaders of the founding nations Axis Order, Long Boi Alliance and the Pokanian Empire proclaimed victory over the Bench Press Empire in their capital city, Vadumaa. While in reality the fighting spirit of the Benchmasters was far from gone, the impact the fall of Vadumaa had on many Empires can not be ignored. And as the war raged on in the outskirts of the Bench Press Empire, the victorious Empires already came into conflict with each other. The question of who is to lead the Covenant sparked many hostilities and eventually lead into the Covenant Civil War. One of the key players in the victory over the BPE was the Megacorp Schwebtron Manufactoring. After recieving an enormous request to provide ships and weapons for the Covenant, the two factions continued to grow closer to each other until the SM formaly joined the ranks of the Enlightened Covenant in 2300. The last member to join the Covenant was the United Schlong Coalition in 2369. The Schlongs joined the Covenant as the only unreligious and involuntary empire. Rather, they where forced to do so, annexed as multiple critics of the Covenant foreign policy proclaim. Due to the USC possesing several key worlds of the ancient earth civilisation, most importantly earth itself, the Axis Order saw no other way to realise their goal but to invade the USC and directly tak controll those digsites. And so they did. In 2366 the Covenant, at the height of its power, invaded the USC and wiped their forces out. The Schlong Government, slow on decieding what to do, couldnt organize a resistance but also couldnt agree on terms of surrender. And so, while fighting itself stopped after only 5 months with the Covenant seccuring all important systems, the war officially continued for almost 3 more years. It likely would have continued to do so, if it werent for an imporatant discovery on one of the earth digsites. An ancient earth weapon, which would later serve as the prototype for the Covenant Coloussus, was found. Powered by the Axis Orders most powerfull psyonics, this weapon dubbed "divine enforcer" fired upon Schlongania. All of a sudden all Schlongs fell on the ground and begann praising the Axis Deity Aqua. The Long Schlong high council also begged the Covenant not only to accept their surrender, but also expressed their wish to join them. Because the weapon only fired on Schlongania most worlds within the USC didnt agree with this, but due to their authoritarian believes they did not dare to question the councils decision. Thus the USC joint the Covenant. The Divine Enforcer was rendered inrepearable after this act. With the effect only being temporary, most Schlongs on the capital soon abbandoned their new spiritual believes and returned to a materialistic system of values. But in part due to most Virgins across the USC sincerely adopting the Axis faith, leaving the Covenant now would have a high risk of causing massive unrest within the empire. Not to mention the millitary might if the Covenant or the economic dependence it developed due to several EC reforms put into place to make sure the USC remains loyal. Today it is seen as very unlikely that the United Schlong Coalition would leave the Covanant, the Schlexit movement is at an altime low. Despite this the Covenant still has many peacekeeping troops within the USC territory and they are often treated as unequal by the rest of the Covenant. In recent times there have been several movements throughout the EC, calling for more Schlong rights and greater souvereignty for the USC, to see them more as partners and less as subjects of the Covenant. Faith of the Covenant While the base of the Covenant is its religous believe, creating it was a more than challenging task. Allthough most of the members are of spiritual nature, their faiths sometimes drastically differed from each other. To combat that, the Axis Order put a lot of effort into finding a united faith. Upon discovering that the faiths of the other empires where all connected to each other by the First Axis Order of the fifth cycle, the Axis Order now not only had a single united faith, but also a claim to lead the Covenant. Covenant Civil Wars Polkanian Baptism of Fire (2318-2324) "The burning fire of the true faith burns Polkania. This flame will smite the heretics and forge a new Empire out of the believers, a pure and cleansed Empire, stronger than it could ever be under the rule of those who are blind to the truth." Seargant Someone, watching the bombardement of Polkania from the bridge of his cruiser "AOS Hert the Glorious" . The Polkanian Baptism of fire was caused by the Girohito Incident and was basically unavoidable, seeing as the Polkings refused to place the Polkamster below Aqua in the Covenant Pantheon and the Axis Order refusing any mortal being to be reveered on a similar level as Aqua. After Girohito was executed the Axis Order decalred war. However, despite the brave fighting of the loyalist Polking forces, their end was inevitable. Not only was the Axis Order ina many ways superior than the oftentimes backwatered and primitive Polkanian Empire, they were alos aided by the Schwebtrons and Polking rebles, while the Long Bois remained neutral in this war. One Polking world after the other fell until the Axos Order finally launched an invasion on Polkania. The Polkmaster was executed and replaced with a new one, who in the historic act of submission '''bowd down before a shrine of Aqua, marking the first time ever a Polkmaster kneelt before a graeter power. During the war many symbols that displayed the divinity of the Polkamster such as the grand temple of Orta, the statue of Polgoor or the Pillars of Ascendancy where destryed either by orbital bombardement or by exterminator squads in the ground forces. This gave the war the name the Polkanian Baptism of Fire. Rise of the Third Order (2334-2339) Both the first contact war against the BPE and the atrocities commited by the Polking loyalist forces during the baptism of fire turned many resulted in many Axis Cultists adopting xenophobe view points, eventually resulting in the birth of the third Order. The third order was founded after the crussade against the BPE by several Axis officers who were unhappy with the way the Axis government left most of the occupied Benchmaster alone. So so gain their personal revenge, they commited terrible warcrimes, not only in the occupied BPE but also later all across the Covenant xenos where purged by the third order. The government eventually had to step in and fight the third order, resulting in an opne rebellion. As around 1/4 of te Axis military joined the uprising the war quickly became very fierce. What at first was believed to be nothin more than a simple coupe quickly escalated into a bloody 5 year long campaign across the Axis Order. Many men who once fought side by side now stood on opposing sides of the battlefield. Eventually the third order was pushed back to the Fortress of Faith, the military heart of the Axis Order. A bloody and drawn out siege followed, with massive losses on both sides. But the fanatic spirit of the new order couldn´t be broken, and so theyn resisted until their leader, Amuza Hirz''', commited suicide. Leaderless and overwhelmed, the remaining rebels surrendered, the upper echelons tried to flee the Axis Order but could be catched by the Inquisition. Rebellion of the old elite old guys like we dont wanna jolin the empire, empire so aight war it is, war it was Forces of the Covenant The Forces of the Covenant consist out of the military of every Covenant member. But in addition to this it also posseses forces and systems not controlled by any single government, but as a force of the Covenant leadership itself. Colossus The Covenant Divine Enforcer is the jewel of its navy. Not only can be used to instantly clean any world of the influence of machines or hiveminds, as seen in the Pflüger extermination campaign, but it can also be used to convert a planets population to the Coveannt Faith, as such it has often been used on the occupied Schlong words to prevent revolts. It can also be modified to be equiped with a Planet Cracker, allthough the GC has declared such weapons to be illegal. Heavens Throne Garrison Heavens Throne itself is one of the best defended planets in the galaxy. Next to massive Shield Generators, Surface-to-Space rocket launcher stations and advanced gravity wells, it hosts a giant Defensive Force of 800 Million along with a 20K Emergency Planetary defense Fleet. The Heavens Throne Starbase is an impregnable Citadel with dozens of highly equiped defense stations and one Ion cannon to assist it. United Schlong Coalition Peacekeepers Next to the Axis Order Schlong Occupation Forces the EC has several millions of ground troops based on all Schlong Worlds as well as controll over all Starbases. Their small fleet of Corvettes has a combined power of 3K and is mostly used to move troops from one place to another. Covenant Security Troops All Coveanant Members have Covenant Troops within their Borders to assist their own. This is mostly a ceremonial act of unity, but also a way to make sure the members stay loyal to the Covenant. However they can also be quite effetive fighters as has been demosntrated in events such as the Siege of Alcanrentia during the Escalation War, where Covenant Security Troops assisted the heavily outnumbered Axis Order Soldiers and saved the Coveanant from destruction. Saints of the Covenant The saints of the Covenant are legendary heroes who achieved feats no mortal would think are possible. They are officialy recognized by the Covenant faith as half-divine beings. It is said that the Coveannt Goddess Aqua can summon the spirits of these Saints , but also that they can sometimes materielize themselfes. The Saints of the Coveannt are: Gir Afe, Son of Mafe A legendary long boi warrior. He was summoned by Aqua during the TOM Containment conflict and fought on the front lines, until he was eventually beaten and returned to the Shroud. Polkmaster Pontus Truthbringer Polkmaster who safeguarded the Covenant through the Andromeda Crisis and beyond. His spirit apeared before the Polking forces who were about to start an attack to liberate the besieged Alcanrentia.